Flaming Hot

by Lynn LaFleur

  “But a happy one,” Mattie said.

  “Definitely a happy one.” Ms. Grace removed a credit card from her wallet and handed it to Eve. “Rayna is the only family I have left. I’m thrilled she decided to move back to Lanville and she and Marcus got back together.”

  “I’m happy for you.” Eve slid the credit card receipt toward Ms. Grace for her signature. “Keep your receipt. If you need to return some of that yarn, there won’t be a problem.”

  “Thank you, Eve.” She placed her credit card and receipt in her wallet while Mattie picked up the sack of yarn. “I appreciate your help.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Let’s walk down to Mona’s Place for a piece of pie,” Eve heard Ms. Grace say to Mattie as they headed for the exit. “I’ll bet she has pumpkin.”

  Eve smiled while watching the two very different ladies leave the store. Mattie worked as a full-time, live-in caretaker for Ms. Grace, although Eve believed Ms. Grace and Mattie shared more of a friendship than an employer-employee relationship. Ms. Grace had many friends in Lanville, yet no family until her granddaughter moved here.

  Her smile faded. Although happy that Ms. Grace would soon have more family in her life, it emphasized the emptiness in Eve’s life. She had no family other than her father, who lived thousands of miles away from her. He’d visited Eve a handful of times in the U.S., and had come for her mother’s funeral. All the other times she’d seen her father had been in the Netherlands when she traveled to him.

  How wonderful it would be to have her own family—a husband who adored her and children of her own. With her horrible track record with men, she didn’t foresee a husband or children anywhere in her future. Eve understood that, but understanding didn’t make the nights any less lonely.

  She heard Rhea’s firm footsteps coming toward her. “Rose Midland had to cancel tomorrow night’s workshop. She has strep throat. The poor thing can barely talk.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Will you reschedule it?”

  “Yes, but I don’t know when. All the Friday workshops are set through the end of the year.” Rhea leaned against the counter, crossed her arms over her stomach. “I’ve been thinking about starting some workshops on Saturday during the day. I’ve avoided doing that since so many mothers are busy with their kids on the weekends. But I know there’s interest because I’ve been asked many times about Saturday workshops.” She waved a hand in the air, as if to erase her statements. “I’ll think about that later. I have a couple of errands to run. Could you send out an e-mail to the ladies signed up for tomorrow’s workshop and tell them it’s been cancelled?”

  “Sure.”

  Rhea smiled. “Thanks, Eve. I’ll be back soon.”

  Once Rhea left, Eve crossed the store to where Rhea’s other clerk, Mary Lander, restocked ribbon. “I have to go to the office for a bit.”

  “No problem. I’ll watch the front.”

  After grabbing a bottle of Coke from Rhea’s mini-fridge, Eve settled at the desk and wiggled the mouse to wake up the computer. She located the mailing list in Rhea’s organized files and quickly composed the e-mail to cancel the workshop. Once she clicked the button to send it, she signed out of Rhea’s account and into her personal one. Nothing from her father, which didn’t surprise her. He rarely corresponded by e-mail, choosing to use the telephone the few times he contacted her during the year.

  Since he filled her mind so much, she decided to compose an e-mail to let him know she thought of him often, missed him, and looked forward to seeing him at Christmas. She kept it brief, knowing that was the kind of e-mails he preferred.

  Once she’d completed that task, she leaned back in the chair to enjoy her cold drink. Now that she didn’t have to be part of the workshop tomorrow night, she could do something else. She and Rhea could go to Fort Worth for dinner and a movie, unless her friend had a date. Rhea said all the time that she didn’t care anything about getting married, yet she’d been dating Bob Rowe, a local landscaper, for several months. She claimed she only used him for sex.

  Eve hadn’t had sex in so long, she’d almost forgotten how it felt to have a man’s lips on hers, his hands caressing her body, his cock sliding into her sheath.

  Quade popped into her mind. That happened way more often than she wished it would.

  She had no doubt his lips, his hands, his cock, would feel incredible.

  Eve looked out the window to the wooded area behind Rhea’s building. It gave a nice view of the oak and ash leaves beginning to turn colors. While parts of the country already experienced autumn in all its colorful glory, it would be another month before the trees in Lanville treated the residents to splashes of gold and red.

  She wondered if Quade enjoyed the autumn colors.

  Resting her head on the back of the chair, Eve sighed. Maybe he occupied her thoughts so much because he seemed to be as attracted to her as she was to him. While she knew nothing serious could ever develop between them, she considered him her friend.

  She should accept his invitation to meet him and some of his friends at the new Chinese restaurant tomorrow night. She’d ask Rhea if she wanted to go, if her friend didn’t already have a date.

  The decision made, Eve screwed the cap on the bottle, placed it back in the mini-fridge, and returned to the retail area of the store.

  “I think the new guys did very well with the ladder drills,” Dylan Westfield said as he opened the restaurant’s door.

  Quade thought the same thing about the four new volunteer firefighters now on the team. “Yes, they did. Clay plans to set up hose drills next week. You helping with that?”

  Dylan nodded. “Talia and I are both helping.” His gaze swept the area when he and Quade stepped inside the dimly lit entrance of China Palace. A smile spread over his face. “Speaking of the lady I love …”

  Quade followed his friend while Dylan walked toward a table set up for fourteen at the back of the restaurant. He glanced over the people already seated, then did a double take when he saw Eve sitting next to Rhea. Apparently, she had decided to accept his invitation after all.

  His heart beat a little faster as he slipped into the empty chair next to her. She shifted her attention from her friend to him. “Good evening.”

  “Good evening,” she said softly.

  “I’m glad you decided to come.”

  “The lady who was giving the workshop became ill, so we cancelled it.”

  “I’m sorry she’s sick, but glad you’re here.”

  “I couldn’t pass up Chinese food. I love it.”

  A little tidbit he hadn’t known about her until now. “So do I.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Griff Coleman said from across the table. He closed his menu. “Instead of each of us ordering a plate, why don’t we order a bunch of the different dishes and share? Then we’ll all split the check.”

  “As long as I can get lemon chicken,” Emma Keeton said, “I’m good.”

  Griff leaned closer to her and nipped her earlobe. “You’re always good.”

  She flashed him a sexy smile. “And don’t you forget it.”

  Quade chuckled as the lovers shared a kiss. Emma raised her left hand and touched Griff’s cheek. A large diamond winked at him.

  “Whoa! Emma, when did you get that rock?”

  Emma wiggled her fingers, making the diamond sparkle. “Isn’t it gorgeous? Griff proposed last night.”

  Quade reached across the table and offered Griff his hand. “Congratulations.”

  Griff’s smile could’ve lit up the room. “Thanks. I figured after being together a year, it was time to make an honest woman out of her.”

  “I had no problem living in sin,” Emma said with a playful shrug.

  “Yeah, right. So that’s why you called Talia at the crack of dawn to ask her to make your wedding dress.”

  “Hey, a woman has priorities.” She looked at Eve and Rhea. “Talia and I plan to go to your store tomorrow to talk about fabric.”

  “
Have you set a date?” Rhea asked.

  “Not yet, but I want a winter wedding. Maybe in January.”

  “We got in some gorgeous white satin this week,” Eve said. “It flows like silk. It would make a beautiful wedding gown.”

  Quade tuned out the three ladies’ conversation while he studied the lovely woman seated next to him. Her eyes glowed, a smile curved her lips. He didn’t know if her pleasure came from speaking about fabric or about wedding gowns.

  He knew Eve had never been married. He didn’t know why not. A woman as lovely and intelligent and charming as she should’ve been snatched up years ago.

  Still so much to learn about Ms. Van Den Bergh.

  Maysen Halliday and Clay Spencer headed toward their table. Maysen walked right up to Emma. “Let me see it.”

  Emma’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”

  “Rye told us when he came by Spencer’s this morning.”

  Smiling, Emma held up her left hand so Maysen could admire the ring. “Wow.” Maysen grinned at Griff. “You done good. Did Hardy make it?” she asked, referring to the jeweler in town.

  Griff nodded. “I gave him an idea of what I wanted and he went with it.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Maysen leaned over to give Emma a hug. “I’m happy for both of you.”

  “Thank you, Maysen.”

  “There’s Julia and Stephen,” Dylan said from his place beside Griff. “Now that everyone is here, we can order.”

  “Lemon chicken!” Emma called out.

  “Pork chow mein!” Talia said.

  Dylan touched Talia’s hand. “Hey, wait until we have a waiter.”

  “Then get one,” she ordered. “I’m hungry.”

  Dylan looked at Quade. “Never get in the way of a hungry woman.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  The waiter arrived to take their order. Quade listened to others call out their favorite dishes, deciding there would be enough variety for fourteen people without him ordering something, too. He made a mental note when Eve ordered teriyaki wings and a glass of white wine. Something to remember for the future in case he ever decided to stop by her place with dinner.

  He liked that idea. He’d always enjoyed surprising a woman with an impromptu picnic. Unfortunately, his social calendar had been far from full lately. He hadn’t had a date in six months, not since he and Deborah decided their relationship would never go any further than sex.

  Not that Quade had anything against sex. He loved everything about making love with a woman—the flowery scent of her hair, the silkiness of her skin, the press of firm breasts against his chest. He loved kissing soft lips, sliding his dick into a wet pussy. Yet he wanted more than sex with a woman.

  He wanted a lifetime.

  Quade glanced at Eve as she sipped from her water glass. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in a long time. He didn’t know if anything serious would develop between him and Eve, but he’d never know if he didn’t try.

  Quade didn’t think he’d laughed so hard in his life. With fourteen people all telling stories, the conversation and laughter never stopped all through dinner. Time passed so quickly, it surprised him when he glanced at his watch to see the hands approached eleven o’clock.

  Maysen must have noticed the time as he did for she waved to get everyone’s attention. “Clay and I are leaving soon. I’ve divided the check by fourteen. If we all chip in twenty dollars, that will cover the bill and leave a nice tip.”

  Eve reached for her purse hanging on the back of her chair. Quade gently touched her hand to stop her. “I have it.”

  She blinked as if she didn’t understand what he said. “What? No. You don’t have to pay for my dinner.”

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. I invited you, remember?”

  Her lips curved in a small smile. “Thank you. That’s very sweet.”

  Quade removed forty dollars from his wallet, passed it down the table to Maysen. Once she’d collected all the cash, she grinned. “Thanks. Clay’s putting the dinner on his credit card. I get to keep the money.”

  Laughter rang out again over Maysen’s joke, then everyone gathered up their items to leave. Quade waited for Eve as she spoke with Rhea. Even in a town as friendly and crime-free as Lanville, he wouldn’t let a woman walk to her car alone this late at night.

  She turned to him once Rhea walked away with Bob. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

  “A gentleman always escorts a lady to her car.”

  “Then I accept.”

  Quade placed his hand on the small of her back. He left several inches between their bodies so only his hand touched her, although he wished he could feel her entire body against his.

  She led him to a newer model midsize car that happened to be parked only two spaces away from his pickup. He waved at Keely and Nick Fallon as they drove away. That left the parking lot empty except for one other vehicle besides theirs.

  “Thank you again for dinner,” Eve said.

  “My pleasure.”

  The security light on the restaurant cast a golden glow over her face. He wondered what she would do if he kissed her.

  “It’s getting late. I’d better go.”

  Kissing her now wouldn’t be appropriate, even though he longed to taste her. “Okay. Be careful going home.”

  “I will.”

  Quade waited until she’d withdrawn her keys from her purse and unlocked the driver’s side door before he stepped back. He walked halfway to his truck, then glanced over his shoulder for one more look at her. What he saw made him hurry back to her car. “Eve, wait!”

  Eve lowered her window. “What’s wrong?”

  “Your back tire is flat.”

  “What?” Turning off the ignition, she climbed out of her car. She blew out a frustrated breath when she bent over to look at the flat tire. “Well, shoot.”

  “Hey, it’s no problem. I’ll change it for you. I’ll grab my flashlight while you open the trunk.”

  He could see the relief flash over her face. “Thank you, Quade. I really appre …” She stopped, closed her eyes, and blew out another breath. “Opening the trunk won’t help. I don’t have a spare. I mean, I have a spare, but it’s flat, too. I forgot to get it fixed.”

  He could’ve reprimanded her on the danger of her getting stranded without a spare tire, but it wouldn’t accomplish anything except make her feel worse than she already did. “It still isn’t a problem. Your car is parked under a security light right on the main highway through town. No one will bother it. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call our sheriff and have his deputies check it when they do their drive-throughs.”

  She smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you, Quade.”

  “Grab your stuff and I’ll take you home.”

  Once situated in his pickup, Quade made the quick call to Brad McGuire and explained the situation with Eve’s car. Since the restaurant was less than two miles from Cozy Crafts, he pulled up behind the store as he ended the conversation with the sheriff.

  “All done. The deputies will check to make sure your car is okay throughout the night. I’ll call Clay in the morning. One of his mechanics will take care of both tires for you.”

  “Thank you. Again. It seems like all I’ve done this evening is thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He opened his door, determined to walk her to her entrance. Even though they hadn’t had an official date, he still thought it the polite thing to do to see her all the way home. Taking her arm, he led her to the stairs. A security light came on when they were halfway up the steps, triggered by their movement.

  When they reached her small balcony, Eve looked down at the key ring in her hand. Quade waited for her to unlock the doorknob and deadbolt and step inside. Several moments passed and she continued to stand in one place. “You okay?”

  “We didn’t have dessert at the restaurant.”

  He didn’t understand why she mentioned that, b
ut teased with her. “We had fortune cookies.”

  “That’s not dessert,” she said, still looking at her keys. “I made brownies yesterday.” Now she gazed into his eyes. “Would you like to come in for dessert?”

  3

  Eve had no idea why she invited Quade to have dessert with her. The words had tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. But she’d enjoyed her evening and his company so much, she didn’t want it to end yet.

  “With or without nuts?” Quade asked.

  It took her a moment to realize he referred to the brownies. She smiled. “With, of course. In fact, the pecans came from Keely and Nick’s trees.”

  “Does coffee come with the brownies?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I can’t possibly say no.”

  Relief and trepidation battled inside Eve as she unlocked the door—relief that he’d agreed to stay, and trepidation that he’d agreed to stay. She’d told herself she and Quade could be good friends even if they couldn’t have a serious relationship. What she felt in his presence had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with a woman’s desire for a man.

  She couldn’t allow her desire to overrule her common sense. Friends only. She had to keep telling herself that.

  He leaned against the counter in her kitchen and crossed his ankles. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “No, it won’t take long to make coffee. I have the kind of coffeemaker that brews one cup at a time. I have several different kinds and flavors, both regular and decaf.”

  “Decaf works for me since it’s late. You pick the flavor.”

  “Cream or sugar?”

  “Just black.”

  She could feel him watching her while she prepared the first cup of coffee. Little tendrils of pleasure crawled along her skin. She imagined his touch instead of his gaze running along her arms, her back, between her legs….

  Eve handed him the mug of coffee. “It’s French Vanilla. If you don’t like it, I’ll make a different flavor for you.”